Fitness challenge

 A few years ago, the authorities here introduced the 30 day fitness challenge - various events were set up in order to encourage the local population to do some daily exercise during the course of November.

My own efforts have sadly been lacking. I have however (as regular readers will have noted) gone to great lengths to make sure that I am take part in the various build up rides (BUR) for the Spinneys 92km cycle challenge that is held every year (generally in February) - these practice rides gradually increasing in distance before the 92km race

This has required careful diary management as the rides are generally held on the last Sunday of each month so  I have to closely review my weekend travel plans to avoid clashes. My recent work trip to Barcelona was a case in point as I had to ensure that I was back in Dubai in time to take my place on the start line for BUR3 (65km) at 6:45am yesterday. 

This entailed (as recounted in earlier blogs) my first trip on Etihad Airwasy as their flight schedule got me back to Dubai at a reasonable hour on Saturday night rather than the early hours of Sunday morning if I had flown Emirates.

That however is not the reason for this post. The ride itself had seemed to go quite well by my standards as I latched on to the back of a group and managed to hang on for the entire race (even having a bit of a go  at - if not a sprint finish - then a brisk trot to end the race).

On crossing the finish line I noticed on my stop watch that I was well under 2 hours which for me was a very respectable time for 65km. 

It was only when I got home and took a closer look at my Strava that I realised that rather than the advertised 65km, the course was only 60km - so still not bad but not really the stellar performance I had imagined (and I suspect some of the other of the 750+ riders might also have been a little disappointed at being somewhat short-changed on the distance of the route).

Stars in their eyes

 I do not as a rule meet many famous people - presumably because of the circles that I keep but over the last week I have met a couple of people who I guess could be regarded as being fairly famous to a particular demographic.

The first was the Nottingham Forest football manager Sean Dyche who I mentioned meeting in an earlier post. I have long been a follower of his team back to the days when I was at University in Nottingham and Brian Clough was the manager. While Chelsea have always been my first love, I also look out for the Forest result and I  have a number of friends who still regularly watch them play so capturing a selfie with him was certainly something worth remarking upon.

Fast forward a week and my next brush with fame was with Dara O’Brain the Irish comedian who I met in a lift at the conference I attended last week. I must admit that I did not know who it was I was chatting to at the time until a colleague (who had also been in the lift) mentioned it the following morning at breakfast and all became clear later that evening when Mr O’ Brian provided the after dinner entertainment to wrap up the conference (and I was able to get selfie in the bar afterwards).

They say that these things come in threes, so I wonder who I will be meeting next?

Mislaying important documents……

During the Summer we were travelling back from Ireland and V. managed to leave her passport on the plane after landing at Gatwick. You do not need a passport to get through customs so its absence was not noted until we were beyond the point where we could retrieve it. 

Cue much wailing and gnashing of teeth from her parents (although V seemed pretty sanguine about the whole episode) and I recall thinking at the time, how can you forget such an important document? 

After many phone calls to Cork airport (various different iterations of lost property) and an opportunity to get to know some of the lively characters working there, she eventually tracked it down and we were able to arrange for my cousin P to pick it up at Cork airport on her way back to London with Uncle K at the end of her holiday (not the first time that Cousin P has returned with various articles our family have left behind in Ireland).

Fast forward 3 months and I have just done exactly the same thing  - I got to the passport control at Abu Dhabi Airport having just disembarked my flight and realised that there was no sign of my passport where I usually leave it (ie in my passport holder which I usually put in my headphones case when I am wearing the headphones on the flight). 

I must have had it when I boarded so felt reasonably confident it would eventually be found but could not specifically recall where I would have left it although I had a suspicion that I had put it down in the overhead locker when I was retrieving my headphone set and simply failed to put it into the case once I had removed my headphones.

Fortunately the passport was tracked down and after a bit of a wait, we were reunited but the moral of the story is I think never judge!

Sense of smell

 A short post this evening about staying at nice hotels and the fact that, regardless of the age of the lift system (in this case probably quite old and certainly unsophisticated given the time it takes for them to arrive), the quality of the furnishings or the age of the concierge, if it smells nice then you are in a decent hotel!

My current hotel smells very nice - a mixture of flowers and high end gentleman’s club so they are doing a good job! 

A change is as good as a rest

 As noted in an earlier post, we are pretty well served by Emirates Airlines in Dubai - although very expensive, the seats even in economy are pretty decent, there is reasonable flexibility about how much luggage you take into the cabin and the check in process is usually pretty smooth.

For I believe the first time since moving to Dubai, today I took a flight on one of the rival airlines - Etihad - who operate out of Abu Dhabi. 

The airport is a bit further away from where I live than DXB (just over an hour compared to around 20 minutes (depending on traffic)) and the prices tend to be the same or even a little higher so there is no real incentive for me to use them save - on this occasion - that the Etihad flight schedules to Barcelona where I have to travel for work this week were a lot more suited to getting me back to Dubai for first thing Sunday morning (in time for Spinneys BUR 3).

It was therefore interesting to note the differences (and similarities) between the two airlines. The first thing that struck me was the check in process was not particularly welcoming - I had been warned in advance that they were a lot stricter about baggage weights and that seemed to play out at the check in desks where there seemed to be quite a lot of complaints about over-weight baggage.

 On board the seats in economy were in a similar configuration but the headrest had one fixed part that jutted out (Emirates allows you to adjust both ends of the headrest). However, this actually worked quite well as the end was fixed in position and so you could lean your head against it at an angle which was quite  comfortable.

The meal was pretty good although the tray was smaller and the main meal had a plastic lid (rather than the usual tinfoil). The entertainment was much more limited than Emirates but an interesting upgrade was that prosecco was included in the drinks available with the meal.

I doubt I will be using Etihad much in the future but certainly they put on a reasonably decent show.

Truffle

 I think I have posted before about my love of truffle as a food flavouring. I was out last night at a very nice restaurant in Doha on a work event and one of the courses was an Italian dish which had mushrooms in a truffle sauce and some kind of semolina. 

The first thing that struck me was the smell. This dish was one of three which we were served to be shared. The other two dishes were also good - a burrata and a slow cooked rib. However, the smell of the truffle infused mushroom literally made my mouth water and I could not wait to get my hands on a spoon to get it onto my plate.

It tasted as good as it smelt. 

The first time I recall consciously eating truffle was at the St Regis Hotel in Abu Dhabi which I was visiting (this was probably around 3 or 4 years ago - possibly longer) with V and E. Again, the first thing I noticed was the smell but I did not recognise it and it was coming from the recently delivered plates of diners on an adjacent table.

It smelt so  good that I realised I had to have whatever it was that they were eating but all we could really see was steak and chips so in the end I managed to persuade V to go over to their table to find out what it was.

It transpired that it was truffle coated fries/chips so of course I ordered them and they tasted as good as they smelled. I have not looked back but  - I guess due to the cost - they do not seem to feature very frequently on the menus I see (or perhaps I just go to the wrong type of restaurant) -yesterday was my first encounter for about 6 months

One of my colleagues recently gave me a small jar of truffles for use in home cooking following a recent visit to Italy so no excuse for me to do some home-cooking to satisfy any truffle cravings.

On my travels

Posting will be (if that is possible) even lighter over the next few days as I have a packed programme of business trips this week starting later today with a visit to Qatar and then I am off to Spain later this week.

Previous experience has taught me that I will need to carefully regulated the weight of my carry-on bag. For the most part we are very lucky with our airlines in the Middle East - Emirates is particularly generous with weight allowance. However, FlyDubai - my chosen carrier this afternoon - have a strict 7kg limit and last time I was forced to carry my laptop I to the plane to avoid my bag having to go into the hold.

Breaking news - I have also just discovered that I am very low on toothpaste so will need to remember to buy some when I get to the airport.

Nice weather we are having!

 So finally (in fact around 2/3weeks ago) Winter has arrived and the blazing heat has subsided. 

This weekend, I have taken full advantage with a visit to the Beach yesterday (the water was cool but not cold) and this morning I went for a relatively late bike ride into the desert (7am start, finished around 9:30am just as things were starting to warm up). 

This afternoon I went for a round of golf at the Meydan course - next to the racetrack but actually quite rural and we saw Oryx cavorting around the fairways but also - for only the second time in the 16 odd years I have been in Dubai, a desert fox who was taking a very close interest in the Oryx.

They are usually pretty shy but this one had clearly got its sights on a potential dinner as an Oryx with a full set of antlers and a much younger version pelted around the course. Very much a Dubai style day, and whilst the quality of the golf was not up to much, the views of the Dubai skyline (and the wildlife) were excellent.

I want to ride my Bicycle (reprise)

 I am currently reading a book by the Tour de Frances commentator Ned Boulting in which he mentions the first bike that he had - a second hand road bike which he received as a a birthday present costing GBP48 bought by his Father and that reminded me of my own bike owning history.

The first bicycle I recall seeing was my Father’s which was kept in the garage, frame all in black with a black mudguard which I am pretty sure he had owned since the 1950s (indeed one of his famous stories was  riding his bike in one of the South East London  suburbs and getting stuck in a trolleybus rail as he was coming down a hill and having to fall off before he ended up riding into a trolleybus - pretty sure that this was a different bike though).

I suppose when I was very young I would have had a pushbike of some kind but the first bike I remember was my first “proper” bike - a beautiful silver Puch 10 gear aluminium  racer with drop handles. I guess I must have been 13 or 14 and I was an incredibly excited by it when Dad took me to the bike shop to select it for my Birthday and ended up riding it to school and around the environs of  Kent. It had a bag rack at the back and I recall having to artfully manipulate the elasticated straps with the hooks at either end  to ensure my cricket bag stayed on.

The quickest way to school was down the main road and whilst I usually tried to keep  to the pavement during the rush hour, if I was late I had to take the road and I well recall the thunder of the lorries and buses overtaking me  as I tried to keep out of the gutter by the side of the road.

I took the bike to University (I assume strapped to the top of my Father’s car) and I also had it when I moved to London when I started work although I did not use it very often (in fact I cannot remember using it at all) and it was left in our garden  shed (now demolished) when we moved to Hong Kong.

HK did not really lend itself to cycling (although some brave souls could occasionally be seen on a weekend) and it was only when I moved to Dubai that I rejoined the bicycle owning classes. 

I am sure that I would have recorded the occasion in one of my early blog posts but I recall that Dad was visiting and agreed to accompany me to a bike sale at one of the industrial units - I think in Al Qouz or possibly further out but in any event, it took as a while to find our way to the relevant shop where I bought myself a Giant Revel Mountainbike - Giant by name and giant by nature - it was huge and only just about fitted into the back of the car with both of the seats down. 

I cannot now recall how much I spent - probably no more than AED1,000, but it provided very solid service for a number of years around the highways and byeways of Jumeriah and Al Safa 1 when I used to take the kids out for a ride and later when we moved to The Villa, it provided very sturdy service for my pre-work rides and, after I had decided to dip my toes in the Spinneys 92km race, I used it for my training sessions up and down the unfinished D54  - dodging the bulldozers and concrete lorries. However, I realised that if I was actually going to finish the Spinneys 92km race I was going to have to get myself  a proper road bike and so - taking full advantage of the Decathlon Autumn sale - I bought for myself - I think for AED3,500  - an Aluminium  Btwin Triban 540 with no less than 22 gears and a shimano cassette. 

This served me well for a number of years until I decided that I needed to upgrade to a carbon body and so bought a beautiful red Specialised Tarmac Sport disc which cost around AED13,500 and this has accompanied me on my outdoor road rides (the Btwin is now my static bike for home use).

The final chapter (so far…..) in my bike buying history has been the purchase a couple of years ago of a Scott Genius 900 tuned AXS Mountain Bike which is all singing and all dancing (carbon frame , electronic gears, disc brakes) which is fabulous (but I am a little embarrassed to say how much it cost - suffice it to say over double my road bike…..). Our helper G transported my Giant back to the Philippines where I have no doubt it continues to provide good service. 

Another short interlude

 A classic Dubai day with a (corporate) visit to the golf at the Earth Course at JGE. Back in the day when my Father was visiting Dubai, we would spend  the afternoon at the 9th tee watching the acclaimed golfers of the day parade past, basking in the glorious winter sunshine.

Despite various pressing work related challenges (including trying to conduct a recruitment interview in the taxi on the way to the course), it was a very pleasant day although sadly I did not see a huge amount of golf but did manage to catch up with various old friends and colleagues.

I also managed to have a chat with the Nottm Forest manager football club who (I assume) was having a break from the rigours of the Premiership so all in all an entertaining day.

A short post

 Work event tonight which involved standing in a large hall listening to various amateur bands belting out (mostly) heavy rock/rap classics (or so I assume as none of the were particularly familiar to me).

Not really my sort of thing but went along to support colleagues who were participating and proceeds were going to charity. In fact had a pretty good time and the band from work were very good - definitely showed a lot of bravery in getting up on stage in front of 500 + people and fingers crossed that they impress the judges!

Summer Round Up - the Road to Killarney (decided to change the title system…)

 We bid the Old Medical Hall a fond farewell and headed off to Killarney via Tim Healy pass stopping off at Uncle K and then Mary - Etna’s in Adrigole (where we caught up with various  members of the US side of the family). 

ME was in excellent form regaling us with stories of her 28 day cycle tour of Belgium and France in the late 1950s and her months long trip around the US in the back of a Buick with nothing more than a small calibre Derringer (kept under her pillow) for protection!

We then headed off to Killarney with a stop off for lunch at a small harbour just over the Cork/Kerry border and a nose around Kenmare and its markets before parking up in Killarney and depositing around 3 weeks worth of washing at the launderette at the top of town.

After picking up some provisions in Dunnes, we made our way back through town towards Muckross and joined K.and A and the rest of the clan at K’s house before tucking into a Chinese takeaway for Tea. After the excitement of the last couple of days, it was a relief to put our feet up and relax!

Summer Round Up (Part 6)

 Our last full day in Castletownbere heralded our traditional trip to Bere Ireland - the ancestral home of the Irish side of my family and where the semi-derelict farmhouse where my Mother and her brothers (including Uncle K) and Sister used to live before they all moved (along with my Grandparents) still - just about - stands with its amazing views across Bantry Bay towards Hungry Hill on the mainland.

As usual boarding the ferry over to the Island was an exciting affair. - particularly in the huge Volvo that we were driving which required much gunning of the engine to make it  - in reverse - up the steep ramp from the landing stage on to the ferry (and then a more delicate touch to manoeuvre the car into the tiny gap between two other cars (including K’s car) already parked on either side of the deck). 

Whilst I successfully navigated this stage of the process through judicious use of the rear view mirror and trying as best I could to follow the shouted directions of the ferry captain, there was no room to open the door to join the rest of the family in the boat’s seating area (they had wisely decided to admire the spectacle from outside the car) so I had a ringside view as the two cars earmarked for the remaining spaces at the front of  the deck  came up the ramp. 

The first car was driven by D.who carefully manoeuvred his car into the tiny gap in front of the right hand side of my car. 

The other car clearly decided that extra power was going to be needed to get up the ramp and so I was very well placed (I would probably say too well placed) to see it suddenly hurtling up the ramp at top speed towards me with much roaring both from its engine and from the ferry captain who sensed - rather belatedly in my view- that the driver had perhaps over-estimated the power required to board his vessel. 

It crested the  top of the entrance ramp at a rate of knots, barely missing D’s car by a matter of inches, and screeched to a stop in response to the Captain’s admonishments a hair’s breadth from my front bumper.

Fortunately the rest of the visit was somewhat less traumatic although disappointingly the former School and now Heritage Centre was closed. 

We were able to have a tour around the Island including into Rerrin where we spent a pleasant 1/2 hour skimming stones and buying Bere Island themed warm weather gear from the village shop before a visit to the fort and then a stop off at the Hotel at the top of the Island for a quick snack before a photo opportunity by the old house and then catching the 2:30pm ferry back to the Mainland.

After stopping off for some lunch at the Buddhist centre (they have now finished the Temple - will try to post some pictures below) and admiring the beautiful views, we drove around the peninsular to Allihies beach where we were able to take full advantage of the sunshine for a walk  amongst the crashing surf.

We were back in CTB in time for Dinner (again at Murphy’s after the success of yesterday’s meal) before a visit to Twomeys bar and then  a valedictory pint in the snug of MacCarthy’s Bar (very much quieter than last night) before heading home at a halfway reasonable time (ie just before Midnight!).

Summer Round Up (Part 5)

 The main regatta day in CTB on the Monday bank holiday started bright and breezy and A. and I joined D. and C for a round of golf at the Berehaven Golf Club (a very reasonable 25 Euros a person). 

Uncle K (who had joined us for our last round at this course during our visit two years ago) kindly lent A and I some clubs which we were told were at the back of his garage - in fact we managed to locate some extremely old, but perfectly serviceable (if a little rusty) sets in a dark corner at the back (as opposed the rather newer set that I had completely failed to spot closer to the front of the garage which I think were intended for us).

By the time we got to the course the wind was still strong but the skies were becoming clearer and, as with our last visit, by the time we were half way round, the views over to Bere Island and towards Hungry Hill were beautiful. Less beautiful was my golfing performance although fortunately A was in good form and the 15 year old C showed us how it should be done.

Once we completed our round, we headed back to CTB and stopped off at Lynch’s On the Pier for Seafood Chowder and enjoyed the regatta festivities (although sadly missed the greasy pool climb and the pillow fight).The place was jumping with people enjoying the sunshine and we bumped into Uncle K and the rest of the family enjoying a quick pint outside of MacCarthy’s while waiting to get Dinner at Breen’s. 

Our own Dinner was at Murphy’s in the overflow tent pitched in the harbour car park so great views across the water and fabulous seafood (including crab for me) on the menu. 

We all ended up at MacCarthy’s Bar for a pint of Murphy’s where we joined by the rest of the clan (including Uncle K who found a convenient perch on the snug next to the band) and we were regaled by much music and dance through the rest of the evening (given how packed the place was it was quite extraordinary how the band could find room to play their instruments -  and for people to dance - clearly they have had plenty of practice of performing in confined spaces!). A terrific evening and another finish after midnight.

Summer Round Up (Part 4)

 Continuing our Summer holiday escapades, and having exhausted all the Adrigole GAA  festivities had to offer, we headed to Castletownbere to check in to our B&B - the Old Medical Hall which was conveniently situated on the road out of CTB heading up to Uncle K’s place. 

The lady running it was also a cake-maker and so our stay was punctuated by the smells of freshly baked cakes  - not great for the diet (particularly when she provided us with some free samples) but really added to the ambience!

After arriving at CTB, we headed up to K & T’s place for the traditional pre-regatta BBQ. They had a full house of the London cousins  and families including R and D with their (now adult) children (A, E and L and various girlfriends and boyfriends), L and D with kids, K, A, D and C with kids, and the unexpected presence of S and H. Together with various friends from CTB and our family there was just about enough room around the huge table laid out in front of the house. 

As ever it was a lovely afternoon and although the afternoon sun disappeared as the day wore on we were able to stay outside until the drizzle started in the early evening by which stay everyone was nicely warmed up for a visit to MacCarthy’s bar in Town.

A and I left E and V in the B&B to recover from the trip (Ona. Promise that we would bring them back some crepes -  a speciality of CTB in the Summer) and by the time we arrived at MacCarthy’s it was jam-packed (unsurprising for a Regatta evening). 

We had a whale of a time including much singing and dancing with R& K and their family along with the rest of the gang and copious amounts of Murphy’s! We rolled back in to the B&B (with the crepes) shortly after 12pm.

Summer Round Up (Part 3)

 After our adventures in Paris, next stop was Ireland. As noted in previous blogs, we head over to Cork/Killarney every couple of years and part of the attraction of  the Rhone cruise was that it allowed us to end up in Paris was the ease of getting from their to Cork.

Our usual stopping off point in Cork (the International Airport Hotel) was not allowing any bookings (even back in April when we started looking) so we were trying out a new destination - the Maryborough Hotel just on the outskirts of Cork City. We arrived in the afternoon in the middle of a wedding but were shown to our rooms despite the smartly dressed hordes around us. We were greeted by sparkling wine and a great views of the woods and manicured lawns that surround the hotel - very pleasant and we had a lovely walk around the grounds before an excellent Dinner in the evening.

The next morning we went back to the airport to pick up the hire car - an upgrade to an enormous Volvo (CX90) was very welcome and 1.5 hours later we were parking up at Adrigole GAA for the sheep and duck racing. 

As with our last visit the weather was kind - maybe not quite the blazing sunshine of 2023 - but certainly very pleasant and Hungry Hill a picture in the distance. 

We met up with the Irish cousins (Adrigole branch) who were manning the food stalls and generally soaking up the atmosphere and K, A, C, and D (plus kids) joined us just in time for the sheep racing. 

Despite cheering our selection on, unfortunately we came away empty handed in terms of our selection but fortunately V and A demonstrated more determination than the sheep in persevering with the huge queues for  the ice creams so we were able to cool down before heading off to Castletownbere for the next stage of  the afternoon entertainment- the annual BBQ at Uncle Ks.

Summer Roundup (Part 2)

 After departing our boat in Lyon, we boarded a TGV to Paris for a visit to one of my favourite cities. When we lived in London, E and I used to hop on the Eurostar to get our fix of Parisian life. That is more difficult from Dubai but we have been reasonably frequent visitors over the last few years usually staying at the Novotel at Les Halles. 

The hotel is very well situated for Central Paris and the main museums and art galleries. This year we arrived just after the conclusion of the Tour de France (we just missed the Mount Ventoux stage in an earlier part of the tour - will have to get my timing better next time!). 

We were in Paris for 3 nights and took full advantage of the nearby restaurants for our evening meal (including a return visit to Le Chien Fumer, a lovely meal at Au Terminua du Chatelet and some snails at L’Escargot Montorgueil - all within about 5 - 10 minutes walk of the Hotel).

In addition to indulging our love of French cuisine, we also managed a tour of the newly reopened Notre Dame and our traditional visit to the Musée d’Orsay and I also managed a visit to the Musée Carnavalet which again was very close by. Next stop Ireland!

Summer Roundup (Part 1)

Keeping with the theme of my travels outside of Dubai, this Summer proved to be particularly active both travel-wise and work-wise. 

Just before the holiday season I headed to Seoul for my regular trip to see various clients. This was somewhat closer to the Summer period than visits in previous years so was certainly hotter than normal although by contrast with the blazing heat of Dubai it was actually quite pleasant. 

I then embarked on a three week trial before immediately heading off to Nice to catch up with the family.

 This was our first stay in Nice (although we had previously past through it on the way to Marseille to watch England play Argentina in the Rugby World Cup) and it had direct flights from both London and Dubai so was a convenient starting point for our trip around France. 

We spent three nights sampling the cultural and culinary delights of central Nice before travelling across to Arles via Aix en Provence (where we visited the excellent  Cezanne exhibition). 

As with last year, we had decided to take a river cruise - this time up the Rhone from Arles to Lyon through Provence stopping at various historic towns along the way as well having a painting lesson in the “style” of Van Gogh in Arles (not sure I was particularly successful in mimicking his style although the rest of the family fared a lot better).

Particular highlights of the cruise included the Camargue and Avignon as well as the town of Viviers in the Ardeche before disembarking in Lyon. Similar to last year, we lowered the average age of the passengers by a significant number of years (or at least the kids did) but we had a terrific time exploring the Provençal countryside. Next stop Paris.

Night Boat to Cairo

 ….and speaking of returns to places I visited many years previously (as I was in the previous post), another recent trip (this time for a work event in October) was to Cairo where I was speaking at a conference. 

My previous visit was on the occasion of my 30th birthday during a period when I had embarked on quest to visit as many of the sites of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as I could access. Whilst I did not manage to visit them all those I did included the remains of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (not a huge amount to see) and the site of Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Bodrum) both of which were in  Turkey. However, my favourite (and the only one still standing) was the Great Pyramid at Giza just outside of Cairo which we visited during a holiday to Cyprus by taking a cruise to Egypt. 

I do not recall much about that trip other than a epic camel ride up to the Pyramid which provided a great view point demonstrating its impressive size (although the tunnel to its centre was  somewhat claustrophobic and E took some persuading to accompany me).

My visit this time took me through the teeming centre of Cairo. The Government  is building a new administrative capital outside the urban area to try to relive some of the pressure on space but for the time being the highways and byways of the city is a chaotic combination of honking cars and insouciant pedestrians who somehow coexist in the same space without an almost suicidal disregard for each other.

The venue for the conference was next to the Nile which although nearly as crowded as the roads was relatively calm and provided an impressive backdrop to our evening dinner. Whilst I did not manage to get to the Pyramids on this trip, it was a very enjoyable reminder of some of the cultural delights within Etsy access of Dubai.

Is it that time of year again?

 In fact, not only is that time of year where tradition has it that I will blog a post per day, but in fact I am 4 days late to the party having missed the usual kick off on the first of the month. It did not occur to me until today that I had neglected the start date mainly I suspect because I was off on my travels again although not for work but much more importantly to celebrate a major wedding anniversary. 

E. and I met up in Venice for a few days although the actual anniversary was a few weeks ago. This was my second trip, my first coming many moons ago during a youthful inter-railing trip with my mate J. We had travelled through Holland, Germany, and Austria with an extremely optimistic accommodation  budget of GBP15 per day with the  intention that when we arrived in the supposedly cheaper countries of Italy and Greece we could find somewhere suitable for GBP10 per day.

Even staying in the Lido on the mainland, this proved to be a challenge in Venice and despite staying in the cheapest campsite we could find, we were significantly eating into our financial resources.

We were also absolutely hopeless at putting up our tent (it had been borrowed from someone who had neglected to include the instructions so we had a assumed that the rods used to provide the frame of the tent needed to be hammered into the ground - this proved virtually impossible as the sun hardened earth was like concrete and the rods were quite thick so even with pouring our precious supplies of mineral water to soften the earth,  our efforts to create a stable structure were to  little avail and our 2 man tent had an alarming sag in the middle) and tempers were getting frayed when I spotted an identical model to our tent close by. 

That tent, however,  was around twice the capacity of ours due, it transpired when I asked the owner to give us some pointers, to the fact that the rods were supposed to be inserted in the material around the edge of the canvas to give it its shape (rather than being planted in to the ground) and the actual tethering of the tent was by hammering the tent pegs into the ground and tightening the chords. Genius. This transformed our tenting experience.

Nevertheless the cost of the campsite was significantly higher than our budget allowed which left roughly enough to take a vaporetto to St Mark’s square but not enough money to actually go into St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace next door. This explained why St Mark’s square looked reasonably familiar but that the extraordinarily beautiful interior of the Church (and the treasures of the Doge’s Palace) rang no bells at all for me - a WhatsApp to J confirming that its was not simply poor memory on my part but a desire to eat last time we were in town that caused us to miss this visual treat.

E. and I more that made up for that this trip and our high step count over the 3 days we were there was testament to our vast intake of cultural delights - we also managed a trip to the Galleries d’Academicia and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum as well as the Opera - a terrific trip and I hope a good enough reason for delaying my participation on the blog per day challenge until today.